DENMARK, Wis. (WBAY) – 2-time NCAA champion Christian Laettner is in Northeast Wisconsin this week holding a youth basketball camp in Denmark.
Laettner, who began his NBA career with the Minnesota Timberwolves, is a big fan of Wisconsin.
“This is probably like my 25th camp that I’ve done in Wisconsin, and this is my first time in Denmark, and I just love it,” Laettner said. “All the kids parents know me. They’re all 40, 50, 60 years old. The kids have no idea but the parents take them home and they show them something on Google or YouTube. The kids are just well behaved. Very respectful, quiet, do what I say half the time, gotta blow the whistle hard on them, but they’re just very good kids. Pure enjoyment to work with.”
Laettner is a frequent guest on numerous sports podcasts and radio shows to talk about the college basketball landscape, including multiple appearances on The Doug Gottlieb show. Laettner is intrigued by Gottlieb’s new gig as head coach of the UW-Green Bay men’s basketball program, while also balancing his commitments with his radio show.
“That’ll be hard,” Laettner said. “He’s gonna have lots of demands on the basketball side of it. It’s fun to be on his show because he’s a big personality, and I wish him all the luck.”
Laettner is still fired up 32 years after leaving Duke, especially when it comes to NIL in college basketball.
“I think the game is better when a kid is under one system, one coach, for 3 or 4 years,” Laettner said. “If every year is a whole new team, whole new kids, how can you establish anything? I’m against it, but there’s a lot of people who are for it. Either way, I love the college basketball game.”
